Employment tribunals down 79%

Recent data shows a dramatic decline in the number of Employment Tribunal claims over October to December 2013. This is undoubtedly due to the introduction of fees which now need to be paid by claimants for bringing claims and having them heard. The fee for issuing a straightforward unfair dismissal or discrimination claim is now £250, and the fee for having it heard is £950.

The validity of tribunal fees is being challenged in the courts by the trade unions. If these statistics turn out to be supportable once fully reconciled, this will be a serious blow to the government’s introduction of the fee regime, and may lead to a U-turn on the matter.